Chelsea striker Fernando Torres hoping to start against former club Liverpool in Carling Cup quarter-final

Fernando Torres, Chelsea's £50-million signing from Liverpool, will be hoping
to start against his former club when they meet in the Carling Cup on
Tuesday night following four successive starts on the bench.

Friends reunited: Fernando Torres, Chelsea's out-of-favour Spanish striker, will be hoping to make the starting XI against former club Liverpool when they meet at Stamford BridgePhoto: GETTY IMAGES

Torres, who became the most expensive player in British football on transfer deadline day in January, has failed to live up to expectations since his move from Anfield having scored just five goals in 32 appearances.

However, Roberto Di Matteo, the assistant manager at Chelsea, has insisted André Villas-Boas has not lost confidence in the Spaniard.

Villas-Boas, the 34 year-old Chelsea manager, could turn to the World Cup-winning striker for Tuesday night's game, however, as he prepares to shuffle his pack ahead of a crucial month in the league and Europe.

Di Matteo said: "There are a lot of positive signs [with Torres]. I know we all expect our strikers to score, but if they don't, you look at their performance in the team. We've been pleased.

"The goals will come, no doubt. He's got great talent and has scored goals before.

"He knows what to do and how to do it, and we have a lot of faith in him as well.

"He knows that. There's a lot of competition and he'll play many games. There'll be opportunities to be in the team and show the quality."

Although Di Matteo would not confirm whether Torres would start against Liverpool game in Monday's pre-match press conference, giving the 27 year-old a place in the first XI would make sense given he would have a golden chance to gather more confidence against what is expected to be a youthful visiting side.

The game will also be a chance for Chelsea youngsters Josh McEachran and Romelu Lukaku to make an impact after they struggled to break into the first-team this year.

McEachran, 18, was tipped for big things when he forced his way in to the first-team squad last year, but has only started two games under Villas-Boas - both in the Carling Cup.

Despite dropping down the pecking order following the arrivals of Oriol Romeu and Raul Meireles, Di Matteo insists the midfielder still has a big future at the club, but admitted he may be sent out on loan in January.

"I think Josh is a great talent and a good player," said Di Matteo. "The competition he has comes from senior international players. He has to crack into that.

"What happens in January we don't know yet, and we'll assess the situation then. But he'll definitely be the future of this club."